Monolithic air conditioner

ABSTRACT

A monolithic air conditioner includes: a cabinet; an indoor heat exchanger mounted on a front-inner portion of the cabinet; an outdoor heat exchanger mounted on a rear-inner portion of the cabinet; a fan assembly disposed inside the cabinet to introduce indoor air and outdoor air; a base disposed at a lower portion of the cabinet; and a safety cover mounted on an outdoor air intake formed at a rear portion of the cabinet.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to a monolithic air conditioner, and more particularly, to a monolithic air conditioner capable of securing the stability of an outdoor air intake and the introduction area of an outdoor air, thereby minimizing the introduction resistance.

2. Description of the Related Art

Generally, an air conditioner is operated as a refrigerant goes through a cooling cycle having a series of processes such as a compression process, a condensing process, an expanding process, and a vaporizing process. That is, after the refrigerant is compressed to a high temperature and pressure state, heat is discharged to an outer side by a condenser. Then, the temperature and pressure of the refrigerant are lowered as it goes through an expansion valve. Then, the refrigerant goes through the vaporizer to absorb heat and returns to the condenser. The condenser is installed in an indoor unit to absorb heat from the indoor air, thereby maintaining an indoor temperature to be lower than an outdoor temperature.

Meanwhile, the air conditioner is generally classified into a monolithic air conditioner having indoor and outdoor units that are integrated and a split air conditioner having indoor and outdoor units that are split from each other. Specifically, the monolithic air conditioner is buried into an indoor wall such that a vaporizer is disposed to face an indoor side and a condenser is disposed to face an outdoor side.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a related art monolithic air conditioner, and FIG. 2 is a sectional view of the related art monolithic air conditioner mounted on a wall.

Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2, the related art monolithic air conditioner 10 includes a cabinet 11 defining an outer appearance of the air conditioner, a front panel 12 mounted on an front portion of the cabinet 11 to allow indoor air to be introduced or exhausted, an outdoor heat exchanger 13 mounted on a rear portion of the cabinet 11 to allow a refrigerant to be heat-exchanged with the outdoor air, and an indoor heat exchanger (not shown) mounted on an inner front portion of the cabinet 11 to allow the refrigerant to be heat-exchanged with the indoor air.

More specifically, the monolithic air conditioner 10 further includes an indoor fan (not shown) disposed between the indoor heat exchanger and the outdoor heat exchanger 13 to introduce the indoor air and exhaust the same to the indoor side, and an outdoor fan (not shown) for introducing and exhausting the outdoor air. The monolithic air conditioner 10 further includes a driving motor (not shown) for driving the indoor and outdoor fans, and a compressor (not shown) for compressing the refrigerant, and a shroud for guiding the flow of the outdoor air.

The air conditioner 10 is installed in a hole penetrating an indoor wall to allow the indoor and outdoor airs to be introduced and exhausted.

That is, the air conditioner 10 is installed such that the front portion faces the indoor side and the rear portion faces the outdoor side. The indoor air is introduced into the air conditioner 10 through the front portion, heat-exchanged with the refrigerant by the indoor heat exchanger, and exhausted to the indoor side through the front portion. The outdoor air is introduced into the air conditioner 10 through the rear portion, heat-exchanged with the refrigerant by the outdoor heat exchanger 13, and exhausted to the outdoor side through the front portion. Actually, the air conditioner 10 is installed in a housing (not shown) inserted in the hole.

While the indoor heat exchanger is not exposed to the outside by a front panel 12, the outdoor heat exchanger 13 is exposed to the outdoor side. A rear end of the heat exchanger 13 is spaced away from a sidewall of the cabinet 11. The outdoor air is introduced into the air conditioner through a space a defined between the outdoor heat exchanger 13 and the cabinet 11. The introduced air is exhausted to the outdoor side after passing through an entire surface b of the outdoor heat exchanger 13.

Meanwhile, since the outdoor heat exchanger 13 is directly exposed to the outside, it is dangerous for the careless children to contact with the outdoor heat exchanger 13. Therefore, a blocking member such as a louver grill 31 may be mounted on a rear portion of the outdoor heat exchanger 13. Specifically, the louver grill 31 is attached to a rear portion of the air conditioner 10 and has a plurality of air holes such that the outdoor air can be introduced and exhausted.

Compared with the case where the blocking member such as the louver grill 31 is mounted, the case where the blocking member is mounted reduces the introduction and exhaust space of the outdoor air and thus the heat exchange efficiency is degraded. Specifically, if the blocking member covers the rear portion of the air conditioner 10, the outdoor air can be introduced only through a predetermined rear area of the air conditioner 10. Consequently, the heat exchange efficiency is greatly degraded.

On the contrary, if the blocking member is not mounted, the introduction and exhaust area of the outdoor air increases. However, since the children are exposed to the danger, the stability problem is incurred. When the outdoor air intake is exposed to the outside, the children may touch the high temperature compressor and thus have a burn, so that it is very dangerous for them.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Accordingly, the present invention is directed to a monolithic air conditioner that substantially obviates one or more problems due to limitations and disadvantages of the related art.

An object of the present invention is to provide a monolithic air conditioner with an improved rear structure through which outdoor air is introduced and exhausted, in which an area of an outdoor air intake can increase and the stability of the air conditioner can be secured.

Additional advantages, objects, and features of the invention will be set forth in part in the description which follows and in part will become apparent to those having ordinary skill in the art upon examination of the following or may be learned from practice of the invention. The objectives and other advantages of the invention may be realized and attained by the structure particularly pointed out in the written description and claims hereof as well as the appended drawings.

To achieve these objects and other advantages and in accordance with the purpose of the invention, as embodied and broadly described herein, there is provided a monolithic air conditioner including: a cabinet; an indoor heat exchanger mounted on a front-inner portion of the cabinet; an outdoor heat exchanger mounted on a rear-inner portion of the cabinet; a fan assembly disposed inside the cabinet to introduce indoor air and outdoor air; a base disposed at a lower portion of the cabinet; and a safety cover mounted on an outdoor air intake formed at a rear portion of the cabinet.

In another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a monolithic air conditioner including: a cabinet; an indoor heat exchanger mounted on a front-inner portion of the cabinet; an outdoor heat exchanger mounted on a rear-inner portion of the cabinet; a fan assembly including a fan disposed inside the cabinet to introduce indoor air and outdoor air, and a driving motor for driving the fan; a base disposed at a lower portion of the cabinet; and a covering member mounted on an edge of one side of the outdoor heat exchanger to guide the outdoor air to be introduced.

The present invention can secure the stability of the outdoor air intake by providing the safety member at the outdoor air intake.

Also, due to the safety member, the outdoor air can be introduced through three surfaces, that is, the rear, side and upper portions of the air conditioner, thereby increasing the intake amount of the outdoor air.

Further, since the amount of the introduced outdoor air increases, the efficiency of the outdoor heat exchanger increases and the introduction area of the outdoor air increases, thereby decreasing the introduction resistance of the intake passage.

It is to be understood that both the foregoing general description and the following detailed description of the present invention are exemplary and explanatory and are intended to provide further explanation of the invention as claimed.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The accompanying drawings, which are included to provide a further understanding of the invention and are incorporated in and constitute a part of this application, illustrate embodiment(s) of the invention and together with the description serve to explain the principle of the invention. In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a related art monolithic air conditioner;

FIG. 2 is a sectional view of the related art monolithic air conditioner mounted on a wall;

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a monolithic air conditioner according to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 4 is an exploded perspective view of the monolithic air conditioner shown in FIG. 3;

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of a safety cover according to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of the safety cover mounted on the air conditioner;

FIG. 7 is an exploded perspective view of the air conditioner with the safety cover, which is mounted on a wall; and

FIG. 8 is a sectional view of the air conditioner mounted on an indoor wall.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Reference will now be made in detail to the preferred embodiments of the present invention, examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings. Wherever possible, the same reference numbers will be used throughout the drawings to refer to the same or like parts.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a monolithic air conditioner according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 4 is an exploded perspective view of the monolithic air conditioner shown in FIG. 3.

Referring to FIGS. 3 and 4, the monolithic air conditioner 100 includes a cabinet 220 defining an outer appearance, a front panel 110 mounted on a front portion of the cabinet 220 to allow introduce and exhaust indoor air, a front grill 111 mounted on a front surface of the front panel 110 to guide the introduction of the indoor air, an indoor heat exchanger 130 disposed in rear of the front panel 110 to allow the introduced air to be heat-exchanged with a refrigerant, and a control box 120 disposed in rear of the front panel 110.

The front panel 110 is provided with an air intake 113 on which the front grill 111 is mounted to allow the air to be introduced into the air conditioner 100. The front panel 110 is further provided with an air outlet 112 above the air intake 113 to exhaust the air, which is introduced into the air conditioner and heat-exchanged with the refrigerant flowing along the indoor heat exchanger 130, out of the air conditioner. The front panel 110 is further provided with a display insertion hole 114. A variety of electronic components for controlling the operation of the air conditioner 100 are installed in the control box 120. A display unit 121 for displaying the operation state of the air conditioner 100 is mounted on a front surface of the control box 120 and inserted into the display insertion hole 114 of the front panel 110 so that a user can identify the operation state of the air conditioner 100.

The monolithic air conditioner 100 further includes an air guide 140 mounted in rear of the indoor heat exchanger 130, a scroll 160 located in rear of the air guide 140 to guide the exhaust of the introduced indoor air, a shroud 200 mounted in rear of the scroll 160 to guide the outdoor air that is being introduced, a fan motor 180 inserted in a center of the scroll 160, an indoor fan 150 shaft-connected to a front portion of the fan motor 180, and an outdoor fan 190 shaft-connected to a rear portion of the fan motor 180.

Specifically, the air guide 140 is provided at a center with a hole to allow the indoor air introduced by the indoor fan 150 to be directed toward the scroll 160. The air guide 140 is connected to the air intake 113 of the front panel 110 to guide the air.

The monolithic air conditioner 100 further includes an outdoor heat exchanger 210 provided in rear of the shroud 200 to allow introduced outdoor air to be heat-exchanged with a refrigerant, a safety cover 230 mounted on the outdoor air intake provided in a side surface of the outdoor heat exchanger 210, a base 240 for supporting the above-described elements, and a compressor 170 fixed on the base 240 to compress the refrigerant.

The operation of the monolithic air conditioner 100 will be described below in detail.

When the air conditioner 100 is operated, the refrigerant stored in the compressor 170 is compressed with a high temperature and pressure. In addition, the fan motor 180 is operated to rotate the indoor and outdoor fans 150 and 190. The compressed refrigerant is directed to the outdoor heat exchanger 210. Then, when the outdoor fan 190 rotates, the outdoor air is introduced through the outdoor air intake. The introduced air is directed to the outdoor heat exchanger 210 through a hole formed on the shroud 200. The air directed to the shroud 200 is heat-exchanged with the refrigerant flowing along the outdoor heat exchanger 210 to be increased in a temperature and is then exhausted to the outdoor side.

Meanwhile, the refrigerant flowing along the outdoor air exchanger 210 is lowered in the temperature by being heat-exchanged with the introduced outdoor air. Then, the refrigerant passes through an expansion valve (not shown) provided in the air conditioner 100 to be quickly lowered in the temperature and pressure. The refrigerant passed through the expansion valve is directed to the indoor heat exchanger 130. In addition, the indoor air is introduced into the air conditioner 100 through the front grill 111 by the rotation of the indoor fan 100. The introduced indoor air is lowered in the temperature while passing through the indoor heat exchanger 130. At this point, the refrigerant flowing along the indoor heat exchanger 130 is increased in the temperature by the heat exchanged with the introduced indoor air. Then, the air is directed to the scroll 160 via the air guide 140. The air directed to the scroll 160 is directed to the air outlet 112 of the front panel 110 along an air passage defined by the air guide 140 and the scroll 160. Then, the air is exhausted through the air outlet 112. The refrigerant passed through the indoor heat exchanger 130 is returned to the compressor 170.

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the safety cover according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 5, the safety cover 230 is mounted on the outdoor air intake formed at a rear of the air conditioner 100.

In order for easy introduction of the outdoor air, the safety cover 230 includes a plurality of safety bars 231 each having a predetermined diameter. The safety bars 231 are arranged at predetermined intervals. A fixing bar 232 is attached perpendicular to the safety bars 231 so as to connect the safety bars 231 in one body. More specifically, a portion of the safety bars 231 are horizontally bent such that the safety cover 230 forms a rough box shape. An end portion of the fixing bar 232 has a connector 233 into which a connecting member is inserted. Also, the connector 233 has a hole into which the connecting member such as a screw is inserted, so that the safety cover 230 is connected to the cabinet 220 of the air conditioner by the connecting member. Preferably, the safety cover 230 can be connected to the cabinet 220 and the base 240 by forming the fixing bar 232 of a lower portion of the safety cover 230 at the connector.

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of the safety cover mounted on the air conditioner, FIG. 7 is an exploded perspective view of the air conditioner with the safety cover, which is mounted on a wall, and FIG. 8 is a sectional view of the air conditioner mounted on an indoor wall.

Referring to FIGS. 6 to 8, the monolithic air conditioner 100 is buried in an indoor wall 300 such that the indoor and outdoor airs can be simultaneously introduced thereinto.

Specifically, a receiving hole 320 is formed on the indoor wall 300 to receive the air conditioner 100. A housing 310 is inserted in the receiving hole 320 and it has the same size as the receiving hole 320. The air conditioner 100 is mounted in the housing 310. Leakage preventing members are installed on front and rear sides of the air conditioner 100 to prevent cooled air from leaking through a gap between the air conditioner 100 and the housing 310.

In the rear structure of the air conditioner 100, the outdoor heat exchanger 210 is exposed out of the cabinet 220 and spaced away from a sidewall of the cabinet 220 by a predetermined distance. A gap between the cabinet 220 and the outdoor heat exchanger 210 defines the outdoor air intake. As shown, the safety cover 230 is mounted on the outdoor air intake. When the air conditioner 100 is inserted into the housing 310, small gaps are formed between the side and upper portions of the safety cover 230 and between the side and upper portions of the housing 310. Accordingly, when the air conditioner 100 operates to rotate the outdoor fan 190, the outdoor air is introduced through the rear, side and upper portions of the safety cover 230. According to the related art, the outdoor air is introduced only through the rear portion of the air conditioner 100 when the member such as the louver grill is mounted on the rear of the air conditioner 100. However, according to the present invention, the outdoor air is introduced through the rear, side and upper portions of the safety cover 230, so that the introduction area of the outdoor air is increased. In addition, since the outdoor heat exchanger 210 is exposed out of the cabinet 220, the area of the outdoor air intake is widened, thereby increasing an intake amount of the outdoor air. Further, since the outdoor heat exchanger 210 is exposed, the air exhaust area is also widened, thereby increasing the efficiency of the outdoor heat exchanger 210 and the heat exchange efficiency of the outdoor air.

Since the safety cover 230 is mounted on the outdoor air intake, it is possible to prevent hands of the children from being burnt due to the heat generated from the compressor, when the children insert their hands into the air intake.

It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various modifications and variations can be made in the present invention. Thus, it is intended that the present invention covers the modifications and variations of this invention provided they come within the scope of the appended claims and their equivalent. 

1. A monolithic air conditioner comprising: a cabinet; an indoor heat exchanger mounted on a front-inner portion of the cabinet; an outdoor heat exchanger mounted on a rear-inner portion of the cabinet; a fan assembly disposed inside the cabinet to introduce indoor air and outdoor air; a base disposed at a lower portion of the cabinet; and a safety cover mounted on an outdoor air intake formed at a rear portion of the cabinet.
 2. The monolithic air conditioner according to claim 1, wherein the safety cover is provided at one end side of the outdoor heat exchanger.
 3. The monolithic air conditioner according to claim 1, wherein a side portion of the safety cover is connected to a side surface of the cabinet by a connecting member.
 4. The monolithic air conditioner according to claim 1, wherein a lower portion of the safety cover is connected to the base by a connecting member.
 5. The monolithic air conditioner according to claim 1, wherein the safety cover comprises: a plurality of safety bars each having a predetermined diameter; and a fixing bar for connecting the safety bars in one body.
 6. The monolithic air conditioner according to claim 5, wherein the fixing bar comprises a connector at a position extending from an end portion and/or periphery of the fixing bar, such that the connecting member is inserted into the connector.
 7. The monolithic air conditioner according to claim 1, wherein the outdoor air is introduced through side, rear and upper portions of the safety cover.
 8. A monolithic air conditioner comprising: a cabinet; an indoor heat exchanger mounted on a front-inner portion of the cabinet; an outdoor heat exchanger mounted on a rear-inner portion of the cabinet; a fan assembly including a fan disposed inside the cabinet to introduce indoor air and outdoor air, and a driving motor for driving the fan; a base disposed at a lower portion of the cabinet; and a covering member mounted on an edge of one side of the outdoor heat exchanger to guide the outdoor air to be introduced.
 9. The monolithic air conditioner according to claim 8, wherein the covering member comprises: a plurality of straight bars arranged at predetermined intervals; and a fixing bar attached in a direction perpendicular to the straight bars so as to connect the straight bars in one body.
 10. The monolithic air conditioner according to claim 9, wherein some of the straight bars are bent to form an upper surface of the covering member.
 11. The monolithic air conditioner according to claim 8, wherein the covering member is mounted on an outdoor air intake such that the outdoor air is introduced through a gap formed in the covering member.
 12. The monolithic air conditioner according to claim 8, wherein the outdoor air is introduced through three surfaces of the covering member. 